PEI Preserve Company History

My first true business was a restaurant and being my first one it proved unsuccessful. I was left with 200 lbs of frozen strawberries, as well as a number of lessons about business. Without any specific plan, but having to do something with the strawberries, I called a friend and asked if I could use his restaurant kitchen one night to make a batch of preserves. While the first batch was cooking, my friend came by and offered him a glass of Grand Marnier; I decided to add the liqueur to the strawberries and the first flavour of Prince Edward Island Preserve Company – Strawberry and Grand Marnier was created. That year I sold 450 jars of preserves. Now the business produces over 150,000 units annually but they are all done the same way – in small batches and all by hand using mainly the best quality PEI fruit they can buy.

As the company began to grow I decided early that our company would best be served by trying to operate under the motto of “Everything in Good Taste”. Our goal was and still is to use the Golden Rule as our guiding principle in all our relationships whether staff, customers, or suppliers.

Initially, I focused on selling wholesale by hitting the trade shows and before long our preserves were available in over 400 stores in Canada and US. However, I did not enjoy “chasing the world to make a living” and decided to stay home and “invite the world to our place instead”. At that time, both production were done in Charlottetown. I wanted to be true to who were as a company and sought a location in rural PEI. The old butter factory in New Glasgow was for sale, situated on a corner of a lovely village. It was at the hub of a major intersection en route to Cavendish Beach, Anne of Green Gables House and near the world famous New Glasgow Lobster Suppers. So with a plan of having the production kitchen in full view so that our customers could get a first-hand look at the lengths we go to make our product by hand, we bought the building.

Our company has been served well by our staff and our community and we have received many awards, including Ernst and Young nominating Bruce as Entrepreneur of the year; The Tourism Association of Prince Edward Island awarding Bruce & Company the Tourism Operator of the Year for Prince Edward Island; Atlantic Canadian Retailer of the Year from the Canadian Gift and Tableware Association and most recently I was so honoured to receive the Lieutenant Governor’s Award from The Tourism Association of Prince Edward Island. This award is given in recognition of the recipients’ contribution to the building of the Tourism industry in Prince Edward Island.

In 2004 with the help of Bonnie Grigg (Gardener) and Paul Beckett (Landscaper), Shirley and I started the Gardens of Hope on the 12 acres adjacent to the Preserve Company. This garden was built with a goal of building a respite cottage in the gardens. Click here to read more about the Gardens of Hope.

In 2005, I made a error in judgement to expand into another business, thinking at the time there was a fit. I made a huge mistake in not knowing that my limited skills at merging a company were not enough and it was almost the end of the dream. But by the love of family, friends and staff, our community, our suppliers, and a new banker we were able to get a second chance to continue our company.

It is the fall of 2009 and we are so grateful for the opportunity to be able to write the history today with a positive outlook for tomorrow.

Join us now to help write the history of the “little company that could!”

Click here to see a gallery of some historic photos of our building.